I want to thank all of you for the quilt and pillows that you supported Joan Jones in making. They are real treasures. I am attaching a picture of the Quilt and Pillows, the Quilt is a twin bed size and it brings back some really good memories of some fine people and times.

Well we had a good time on our Parirs Island trip. This year our group included: John Beck, Dave & Sydney Tucker, Wade & Jackie Thompson, Dick & Audry Squires, Eric & Patty Trenck, Don & Joan Jones, Jim & Bonnie Berhide, Bob & Barb Robarge, and Willie & Gail Versch. We owe Eeic & Patty a big thank you for the time and effort that they put into making this a reunion a success. I am sorry to report that Stan Stinmetz passed away just after our 2004 reunion. I have heard from several people that couldn't make this reunion, we need to keep them in our prayers and we look forward to seeing them next time.

The Marine Corps provided a very nice place for us to stay where we had a nice place to sit and visit and just to prove that this was our old Marine Corps we had a storm in the evening, part of the power went out and we spent most of the night without air conditioning and some of us didn't have lights, We had a problem finding a place to eat on the base Thursday but we ate real well Friday in the mess hall with the Boots.

On Thursday morning we drove to Beaufort SC. for breakfast and then drove to Savannah, GA where we toured the visitor's center and then took a guided tour of Savannah. Savannah is an old town that was off of the tourist tract for a long time so they have a lot of the old Savannah left. The old part of Savannah is about a mile square and it has been restored very nicely.

On Friday, we were joined on the tour with five Marines from the North Lake Detachment Marine Corps League, Leesburg, FL. A bus picked us up at the BOQ and we started at 0740 with Morning Colors at the Base Headquarters. After the Colors we went to Peatross Parade Deck where we attended the "M" Company Graduation. "M" Company was four platoons totaling about 380 Marines who had completed 12 weeks of ‘Boot Camp'. After the gradation we had a chance to meet several of the young Marines. We then spent some time at the Museum, and went to a mess hall for lunch. We had a very good guide on this base tour. Cpl. Josh Shemanski demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the base. It's history, and the training activities.

We visited the ISMT (Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer) area where the recruits Snap in with a computer-monitored weapon. They have weapons with a lazar output and they sight in on a target simulating 200, 300, 500 yds. and when they pull the trigger the weapon has recoil and the computer gives them a grade based on where they would have hit the target. They have the M16, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, M203 Grenade Launcher, and an antitank weapon simulator called the AT-4 Tracer Trainer. It was set up so that we could use the weapons.

Then we went to Leatherneck Square where we saw five permanent duty personnel on the "Confidence Course" (Obstacle Course). The Confidence Course includes "the slide for life" they slide down a rope suspended over water from a 60-ft ‘A' Frame tower. The permanent duty personnel have to qualify on the Confidence Course every year. Then we saw a Platoon receiving Close Combat training Instructions.

We went to Page Field and saw the area where they have the Crucible training area and we ended up at the PX and the ladies enjoyed that.

This reunion was a good experience and I think that everyone enjoyed it.